Rocket discharger



Sept. 1952 o. BERGSTROM ROCKET DISCHARGER 3 heets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 2. 1948 Se t. 9, 1952 1.. o. BERGSTROM v 2,609,730

ROCKET DISCHARGER Filed Nov. 2; 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 P 9, 1952 o. BERGSTROM 2,609,730

' ROCKET DISCHARGER Filed Nov. 2. 1948- Y :5 Sheets-Sheet s //v vz/vrak:

[was 0. BZRGS flea/v ("UNITED Patented Sept. 9. 1952 STATS ROCKET nrscrrgnegg Lars 0. Bergstrtim, Bofors, 's wedengas'signcr to Aktiebolaget Bofcrs, Bofors, Sweden In Sweden November 7, 1947 1 A plica November 2, 48; se ia Nq-fiiitilq Claim Th present invention relatesto a device suit able for attachment on aircraft, and comprises a cylindrical or similar container'housing a plurality of rockets capable of being discharged simultaneously or in groups throughelectric ignition. According to the present invention the container comprises a series of independent compartments or tubes each adapted to receive a rocketand is provided with a detachable nose piece or front end capable of detachment prior to release of th rockets.

In carrying out the invention the nose is preferably constructed in two separable portions, means such as explosive charge being provided for detaching them'from the container.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view in side elevation of the discharge device of this invention,

Figure 2 is a section along the line IIII in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section along the line III-III in Figure 1 and Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of the rear stay with electric ignitor.

Figure 5 is a circuit diagram of the electric means for discharging the rockets and Figure 6 three different groupings of rockets.

Fig. '7 is a detail of the suspension means according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a section of another embodiment of the container according to Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the rocket container comprises a casing I which preferably as shown is in the form of a cylinder, and contains a plurality of discharge tubes 2 for housing the rockets to be fired, the tubes 2 being rigidly fixed within the cylinder and to one another. At its front end, the cylinder is closed by means of a torpedoshaped end or nose piece, which is in two diametral halves 3, 4. Each half cage 3, 4 is connected to the cylinder I by means of a loop 3 which hooks on to a corresponding hook 6 on the cylinder I, and is united to each other by means of a lock device consisting of two brackets 1 and 8 secured to the respective half cages. The brackets 18 ar rigidly interconnected by a cylinder 9, which is closed at both ends by the cap pieces I0, II respectively. The cylinder is filled with an explosive charge, for instance black powder l2. One of the covers, Ill is threaded on to the cylinder 9 and is provided with a hole in which an electric ignitor is arranged while the other cover H is fastened to the cylinder by means of a comparatively weak pin it. 'At its rear end the container iis clcsedby means of a torpedo-shaped cage i5, fixed to, the-cylinder through a screw connection, the tip or nose IQ ofthe rear cage iii being loose so that it may easilybe removed. The cylinder [is shown as secured to an aeroplane indicated by the dotted lines by means of vertical armsi'i, it, which are interconnected by a horizontal stay 19- and diagonal stays 23. As shown in Figure l, 'a blasting "charge 21 and an electric ignitor- 2'2 are placed inthe rear stay 18 for cutting oft the stay'when the rockets havevbeen dropped. 'In order to facilitate this, th stay is provided with'an annular groove 23.

Fig. 5 shows the electric diagram of the electric means for' discharging the rockets which is not shown. In this diagram 4| and 42 are connection bars. Furthermore 25 is an insulating tongue, which is arranged between two spring contacts 43 and 44. The tongue 25 is fixed at one of the cage parts e. g. the one designated by 3, and the contacts 63 and 44 are fixed at the cylinder I. When the cage is separated from the cylinder l the two contacts 43 and 44 are connected with each other. 22 is the reviouslymentioned ignitor arranged in the stay 18. 35-40 are terminals which through a control means, which is not shown, are connected to an electric current source also not shown. The control means is so constructed that the terminal 35 always is connected to th negative terminal of the source and that the terminals 36-40 separately in the order named are connected to the positive terminal of the source. When the terminal 36 is connected to the sourc the circuit for the ignitor I3 is closed. The charge I2 will thereby be ignited. The pressure which then sets up in the interior of the cylinder 9 removes the pin it. The eiiect of this is that the two cage parts are released from each other and fiy out in opposite directions whereby they go ofi the hooks 6 at the same time, and separate from the cylinder. The tongue 25 goes with the cage part 3. After this, the terminals 31-39 are connected to the source in the order mentioned with time intervals of for instance 0.06-0.1 second whereby the rocket group I, 2, and 3, respectively is discharged. Lastly the terminal 40 is connected to the source. The circuit for the ignitor 22 is then closed. The blasting charge 2! is ignited. This causes the arm l8 to be bursted off. The whole cylinder I will now drop away, as the arm I7 is provided with a pivot 28, 29, 30 shown in Figure '7, the pivot being geared in the trace 2'! of the arm 26.

Figure 6 shows how the rocket groups are se- 1. A device for discharging rockets from air craft comprising a container rupturably sup-, ported by the aircraft, said containerhaving a, plurality of rocket discharge tubes, arupturable nose piece for said container comprising apair of substantially similar cooperating halves, parabolic in cross section when joined, each half being detachably hooked to the container at one 4 end, said nose piece halves being joined at the nose thereof by an explosive connection, and means for igniting said explosive connection to rupture the joint of said nose piece at the nose and to unhook said sections from the container,

2. A device for discharging rockets from aircraft comprising a container rupturably supported by the aircraft, said container having a plurality of rocket discharge tubes, a rupturable nose piece for said container comprising a pair of substantially similar cooperating halves, parabolic in cross section when joined, each half being detachably hooked to the container at one end, said nose pieces being joined at the nose thereof by an explosive connection, said connection comprising 'a bracket permanently affixedto the inner forward end of each nose piece section, a tubular member connecting said brackets, an explosive mixture within said tubular member and means for igniting said explosive mixtur to rupture the connection between said nose piece halves and to cause them to become unhooked from said container, 1

LARS O. BERGSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I g H Name .7 Date 44,631 j Hull Oct. 11, 1864 1,672,163 Krammer June 5, 1928 2,071,594 Trimbach Feb. 23, 1937 2,206,777 Kee July 2, 1940 2,271,700 Martin Feb. 3, 1942 2,302,280 Warren; Nov. 17, 1942 2,398,871 Turnbull et a1 Apr. 23, 1946 2,421,893 Lambert et a1. June 10, 1947 2,438,924 Kramer et a1 Apr. 6, 1948 2,451,476 Darnall Oct. 19, 1948 2,453,869 7 Slate Nov. 16, 1948 2,470,120 Walker May 17, 1949 2,481,910 DArdenne Sept. 13, 1949 V v FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 1 Date France June 15, 1942 OTHER REFERENCES V V Time magazine, page 70, November 1, 1948. 

